Rex Raymond Reed

Rex Raymond Reed

AGE: 95 • Charleston

Rex Raymond Reed, a resident of Charleston, South Carolina, and formerly of Madison, New Jersey, died peacefully on May 4, 2017 at the age of 95.

Born in Peterson, Iowa to Dagmar Helen Heick Reed and Charles Bernard Reed, Rex spent his early years working on the family farm and attending the local schools where he excelled in music and athletics. He received an athletic scholarship to attend Morningside College but soon transferred to Iowa State University where he was active in the college glee club and choir, the Theta Chi fraternity, and earned a BS in Engineering in 1947.

Rex served as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corp, including tours of duty in the Pacific during World War II and further service during the Korean War where he attained the rank of Captain.

He worked for his entire professional career in the AT&T Bell System. He started in 1947 as a lineman in Iowa and advanced through the organization, ultimately moving to AT&T headquarters to serve as a Senior Vice President and Cabinet Officer in charge of Labor Relations, overseeing and negotiating national labor agreements for the Bell System and its unions.

In addition to his corporate career, Rex served on the boards of Indiana Bell, Illinois Bell, and the First Investors Corporation. His expertise in labor relations led to prominent positions on the boards of the Urban Coalition, The Menninger Foundation, the Labor Management Committee for the Business Roundtable, and the Labor Policy Institute.

Mr. Reed had a long history of volunteerism and community involvement. He served on the board of the Morristown Memorial Hospital, as President of the Madison, N.J. Board of Education, and President of the Morris County Golf Club Board of Governors. He was also an active member of the Madison Presbyterian Church where was a member of the Session and sang in the choir.

Rex is preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Rita Jean (Compton) Reed. He is survived by his wife, Mary McMakin Reed, his daughters Julie Jean Kinney, Nancy Reed McGrath, and Linda Reed Hough (Paul), as well as six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Rex will be remembered by friends and family for his kindness, his humility and generosity of spirit, his strong handshake and sense of fair play, his broad smile and booming laugh, and the twinkle in his eye.

Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service in Charleston, South Carolina at the Chapel at Bishop Gadsden on May 29th, at 10:30 am, followed by a luncheon.

Donations in Rex's memory may be made to the Bishop Gadsden Charitable Fund: http://www.bishopgadsden.org/giving/, or Kiawah Cares:

http://www.kiawahcares.org/.